9 Must Have Elements for Successful Mobile Apps of Things

Mobile Apps of Things (AoT) need to be laser focused and completely relevant with both your business model and business strategy. We’ve already talked about the importance of thinking outside the box when it comes to connecting your hardware device with mobile capabilities, but to take it up a notch we thought now would be a good time to elaborate on the topic. This post will dive into 9 Must Have Elements for Successful Apps of Things (AoT).

1 Usability First

Compelling Apps of Things (AoT) must feature an interface that focuses heavily usability. A great way of hacking usability is to learn from industry leaders whether on social networks or other services you use on your mobile device such as transportation, content sharing, business apps or any go-to apps you use on a daily basis. And yes, beauty does count as it will give you an extra bonus in the eyes of your clients and your industry.

2 KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid

It’s easy to fall in the trap of going overboard when planning your mobile app. Figure out the few absolute necessary features your users will benefit from, build upon those only, and nothing else.

Don’t get tempted to add a gazillion “cool” features. People would rather have one very useful feature than 15 ‘additional features’ they may never use.

3 Browser to Mobile: Don’t change!

If you’re moving from a browser-based dashboard to a mobile app, don’t exclude or hide any features, however ‘small’ they may seem. It’s frustrating not to find that one key feature that you always use on the browser version. That being said, it is essential that the overall user experience be optimized for mobile devices. Need clarification on this? See the tip above. KISS.

4 Gamify Whenever Possible

People will come back to your mobile app again and again if it provides some kind of value and fun. Gamification makes people better interact with the app while having fun. This can come in the form of customization, in-app upgrades, downloadable extras, location-based elements or social sharing. Mobile users are, as the name suggests, users on the go, so give them a reason to interact with other like-minded users whenever possible.

5 Prioritize Speed

It’s very important to make sure the app isn’t slow. People despise slow mobile apps and will uninstall them immediately, and that’s the good news. The bad news is that if your app is slow, they may also post negative feedback on the app store and on social media deterring others from potentially downloading your app as well. It is crucial that your app doesn’t make people wait. If you take away anything from this post, it’s speed, speed, speed.

6 Customize and Secure

Make sure the settings area in your app, i.e, the settings button and menu are crystal clear for your users: colors, font sizes and privacy settings. People appreciate apps that let them tailor the app to their own taste and needs. As our lives become increasingly mobile and open, app users are taking their security concerns very seriously. If you haven’t done so yet, discuss with your mobile development team all potential security threats and measures you can take towards securing them.

7 Include Analytics

The old saying ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it’ is absolutely true. Analytics needs to be enabled in your mobile app from day one. Small businesses must be able to track and identify their user’s experience and actions. The data gathered will only help encourage smarter updates and overall usage of your app. There certainly isn’t any lack of mobile analytics tools such as:

Google Analytics

Segment.io.

MixPanel

Flurry

Localytics

WebTrends

AppSee

Countly

8 Offline Friendly

Can you add content or interactivity that doesn’t rely on a wireless signal to your app? Then consider adding it, as it’s frustrating for users when an app they need right now is unusable just because they are offline. It’ll give you extra points in positive user experience while your users are offline.

9 Ruthlessly Eliminate Taps

Be obsessed with eliminating every possible click, tap, or swipe, starting from the design phase. Conversion and user retention rates fall sharply when extra work is required to sign up, and if they have a bad experience, chances are your users won’t waste their time again. Eliminate any confusion or unnecessary work on their behalf.

BACK OVER TO YOU

Need practical guidelines on…

How to app enable your consumer facing product?

Planning your app development roadmap?

Looking for a mobile app development agency that offers end-to-end strategy, design, development, marketing, and execution?

If you answered YES to any of the questions above, Contact Us today. We’d love to talk.